Dear Friends of PVTC,
Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing PVTC’s five core values with you. Our first is PVTC is an Inclusive Ensemble.
Did you know that PVTC classes and camps start with an ensemble pact? On the first day of a new program, students and teachers gather together to pen an agreement that fosters an inclusive, creative, and respectful environment for making theatre!
Consistently, students articulate what matters to them in the theatre classroom with phrases like “include everyone”, “let people make their own choices,” “laugh together,” “respect others’ creative choices,” “don’t be afraid, be creative,” and, of course, “have fun”! These positive themes have emerged in ensemble pacts through the decades at PVTC and they are more important now than ever. The act of collaboratively creating this pact provides space for teachers and students to establish a mutual understanding of the access needs of every student and to articulate the goals of the experience. Embracing the value of ensemble promotes respect and teaches empathy, allowing participants to consider viewpoints that might not match their own. In a world that is increasingly divided, being able to recognize and celebrate differences is a key skill for a thriving and successful existence.
We saw the value of inclusive ensemble enacted big time in PVTC’s devised summer production of “We Move Together.” Maddie Zdeblick envisioned and helmed this original project created collaboratively with students from Open Mind School, a “servant leadership organization that takes a comprehensive, community-wide approach to meeting the needs of the whole child.” Maddie and her team of PVTC staff, volunteers, and interns worked with Open Mind students at their campus for six weeks before bringing their work to the PVTC stage. The event was vibrant and celebrated the gifts of a myriad of physical and developmental abilities to the stage in an event that truly embodied the notion of inclusive ensemble. This year, the project was co-funded by Maddie’s PhD program and PVTC and we want it to continue!
You can help PVTC foster creative ensembles and projects like “We Move Together” with an end-of-year gift! Financial support allows PVTC teaching artists and directors to participate in special training to engage in inclusive theatre-making, going out of their way to develop lesson plans and rehearsal processes that cater to a diversity of learning styles, interests, skills, abilities, and growth opportunities.
Help us raise $75,000 between now and December 31st by donating today. An investment in PVTC is an investment in values that will foster collaborative and creative leaders for years to come.
Thank you for your support,
The PVTC Staff & Board